Life Beyond the Shore
by Lillian Amelia Lund
Summary: When a young man from our world is killed, he finds himself in the peculiar situation of being given a second chance at life! Only, he no longer lives in the world he knows. When he meets a certain prince of Nohr, his fate becomes decidedly different from what he had expected. (OC/Self-insert)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

* * *

A day like any other; wake up, go to school, then to work, and finally come home late at night. That's how my day should have gone, in any case. Everything went according to plan right up until the part where I walked home; on my walk back home, I experienced the unpleasantness of being hit by a truck. To be honest, it was not as horrible as I had expected; there was a terrible searing pain over my entire body for but a moment before I lost consciousness, resulting in my inability to feel anything.

I suppose I should introduce myself before I go any further. My name is Samuel but most people call me Sam for short. I'm eighteen years of age and well on my way to nineteen. I would tell you what I looked like, except that my old appearance is no longer relevant. You'll understand later.

After I was deprived of my consciousness, I found myself in complete and utter darkness. I couldn't move and I couldn't speak, and quite frankly, it was hard to tell if I even had a body at that point. Before long, a voice spoke.

"Such a tragic death…at such a young age too. Perhaps…I can help you…give you another chance at life…and perhaps…you'll end up helping me at some point. There is a catch however…you cannot return to your world…your body has ceased functioning. I shall send you elsewhere…with a new body."

My thoughts at the time were a scrambled mess of confusion. I had no idea who this voice belonged to, I couldn't quite comprehend what the voice was talking about, and for the life of me I could not decide whether the voice belonged to a male or a female entity. But that's all in the past now; currently, I am still waiting in the void of never ending darkness.

I waited for quite some time for the invisible entity to make good on its word. Just when I was about to shrug the whole thing off as a divine prank, a light appeared in the distance. It was small at first, but as it approached me it became larger and larger. I could see enough of the light now to tell that it was shimmering, as if I was looking into a pool of crystal clear water on a bright summer's day. I prepared myself for the moment when it would collide with me and I would feel the cool splash of water…but it never came. The shimmering light stopped immediately in front of me and showed no signs of coming any closer. As I watched, what seemed to be shimmering water was torn right down the middle like a piece of paper, complete with the very same tearing sound. It fell away below me without a sound, slowly falling beyond my field of vision and into the indefinite shadows.

Puzzled and confused, I looked around in an attempt to find any explanation for what had just occurred, and to my surprise, something else was happening! Small streaks of dull yellow light snaked through the void and collected at a single point; tying their ends to one another and creating a hoop that merely sat there, turning itself in circles.

A new voice spoke.

"Through there lies your new home. Take the plunge, Samuel."

I hesitated; this was a new entity with unknown intentions. I wasn't sure I should so willingly trust this voice, but then again, how could I trust the first voice?

Sensing my hesitation, it tried to reassure me.

"I am your ally, Samuel. Even if you believe nothing else, believe that."

Finally coming to the decision that I had no other options and nothing better to do with my afterlife, I moved through the loop. 'Moved' may not be the proper word for what I did, as I did not have a physical form from what I could tell; I more or less willed myself toward my destination and it began to get closer to me. As the hoop passed around me, the voice spoke two last words before I was enveloped in a light that was decidedly not present in the dark void.

"Have faith."

* * *

When I came to, I was in a room that was completely unfamiliar to me. A stone roof and walls loomed over me as I laid flat on my back. Moving my fingers I could feel plush carpet beneath me and turning my head I could see it was dull red in color. I sat up, rubbing the back of my head in an attempt to alleviate the throbbing pain in my head. Before I could make any headway into figuring out where I was, the sound of a door opening caught my attention. I looked over to see a young man, likely in his late teens, stood at the door, his gaze locked on me.

"Who, if I might ask, are you?" He asked as he slowly stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

"I-I, um…" I struggled to come up with a proper explanation as I rose to my feet. "My name is Samuel, and to save you the trouble of asking, I don't know how I got here."

He nodded his head skeptically. "Right. But you know, Samuel, people don't typically show up in a prince's room at random." He spoke calmly but his body was tensed as if he was waiting for me to pounce and attack.

"A-A prince? You're a prince?" I asked in surprise. "I apologize, your highness! I…wait…a prince of what country?"

He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. "The kingdom of Nohr, as if you weren't aware. Am I also to believe that you're not a spy from Hoshido?"

"Look, I'm gonna be honest with you, I've never heard of either of those countries. So if this is some sick joke that's being pulled over on me, you can drop the act now."

He looked me over for a moment. "At the very least, you don't have the bearing or the manner of dress befitting of a Hoshidan spy. Where do you come from?"

"The United States of America…but I don't suppose that means anything to you, does it?"

"I'm afraid not; this is the first I've heard of such a place." The young man stared at me intently, obviously mulling something over in his mind. "As strange as it sounds considering our circumstances, I'd like to keep you around."

"What? Why? I mean, not that I particularly care, but what reason could you possibly have for keeping me around?" I asked, my complete confusion apparent.

"Not only am I curious about where you come from, but I'm sure that fath- I mean, King Garon would be more than happy if we could strike a deal with your home country and make a joint effort to defeat Hoshido!"

He paced back and forth, talking more to himself than to me. I considered asking him who King Garon was just to be clear, but I figured it was safe to assume that this Garon was the current king of Nohr.

I let him ramble on for a while longer while I looked around the room once again. There really wasn't much else that was noteworthy; just a bed with velvet covers and a small tea table. What really caught my attention though was a full length mirror hanging on the nearby wall; my first look in the mirror caused me to jump back in surprise. The man in the mirror was wearing my clothes, but he looked nothing like me; he was tall, thin, and pale. His eyes a soothing silver color, and his hair a dark shade of purple. Whenever I moved, he moved the same way…it was…unnerving to say the least. I looked down at my hands, remembering what the first voice had said about giving me a new body. I guess I didn't know what I had been expecting, but I didn't think I'd be given such a major makeover.

"Samuel!" The young man's call pulled me out of my thoughts. "Follow me; I'll take you to meet Xander and see what he thinks."

"Oh, um, alright. But…who's Xander?"

"Xander is my older brother and the crown prince of Nohr." He stated matter-of-factly as he opened the door. "Now come quickly. I hope he hasn't already left the castle."

I followed him out the door and into a grand hallway lit by torches mounted on the walls. The farther we walked and the more of this castle I saw, the more it seemed like we were in some kind of medieval fortress. Although by this point, something like that didn't seem all too farfetched.

After a fair bit of walking through halls and taking more turns than I could keep track of, someone could be seen at the end of our current hallway.

"Xander!" The prince yelled, picking up his pace at the sight of the man. As we got close to the man, he spoke.

"Ah, hello, Corrin. Is there something I can help you with? And who is this with you?" Xander spared me a quick glance.

 _Corrin? Is that the prince's name?_

"His name is Samuel, and from what he tells says, he comes from a kingdom outside of Nohr." Corrin explained.

"So he comes from Hoshido then?" Xander tightly gripped the handle of the sword hanging at his waist.

"No, he comes from a kingdom called…um…"

"The United States of America, or just America for short." I finished for Corrin.

Xander's grip on his weapon didn't loosen. "I've never heard of such a place. He's obviously lying to you, little brother."

Corrin looked over at me, considering his brother's words carefully. I could see the look in his eyes; he was leaning towards agreeing with his brother. Now, given the fact that I showed up in a royal's room without invitation, if they had no use for me then I'd most likely end up with a rope around my neck.

"Xan- um, I mean, Prince Xander. Please, give me a chance to explain myself." I pleaded.

"If you're going to explain, then do it. Now." He was scowling and his sword had inched ever so slightly out of its sheath.

I swallowed nervously. "W-well, as Corrin said, I come from a country separate from Nohr and Hoshido. As I understand, Nohr is at war with Hoshido currently, and my country would be more than willing to offer our assistance in ending this war quickly. So, if you could help me get back to my home then I'll be able to arrange for you to meet with the leader of my home country." I waited for his response as he weighed my words.

"Where does your kingdom lie?" he asked simply.

"That's the only problem, I uh…I don't know where it is in relation to Nohr…but I'm sure if we do a little research we can figure it out." I gave a smile to try and reassure them, but it probably ended up doing the opposite.

"Corrin. Can I speak with you privately?" Xander's voice was level and controlled, making it tough to tell what he was thinking.

The two of them walked a small distance away and Xander instantly started whisper yelling at Corrin, causing Corrin to argue back in the same whisper yelling way. I couldn't tell what they were arguing about from this far away, but since they were arguing then surely one of them was on my side…right?

When they came back, Xander didn't look completely happy about whatever agreement they'd come to.

"Samuel, was it? Here's the deal: Our father, King Garon, would more than likely execute you on the spot if he knew your…peculiar circumstances. Corrin and I have come to the decision that we would do well to keep an eye on you for more than a couple reasons. So to make sure you're not killed, you'll serve as one of Corrin's butlers. You shall accompany and protect him wherever he goes, but everything you do will be under the watchful eye of Corrin's retainer, Gunter." Xander took a deep breath after his explanation. "Any questions?"

I opened my mouth to ask a question, but after seeing the look on Xander's face I thought better of it. I closed my mouth and shook my head. "No questions right now."

"Good." I was given one last glare from Xander before he walked off down one of the many large hallways.

"Well, I guess we should get you a uniform. And maybe I should have Jakob teach you some of the finer points of proper butler etiquette." Corrin said.

"Lead on then, my liege." I said with a sigh.

I don't usually fancy myself as someone who complains, but being thrown head first into a brand new world that I know nothing of and finding my only option is to become a butler for a prince I've just met isn't a situation I would have asked for.

I could only hope that my luck would turn around soon.

* * *

 **A/N: SO! I've been playing a lot of Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest lately and I couldn't resist the urge to write this fanfiction. So here you go. I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter and will continue to read as I update.**

 **Please give me some feedback, either through reviews or PMs. Feedback really helps me to keep going on a story. Also, feel free to leave suggestions for characters or things that you'd like to see in this story.**

 **Thanks for Reading! Farvel!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

* * *

This Jakob person that Corrin had mentioned was the textbook definition of a Butler; well dressed and groomed, polite, and loyal. Corrin had taken me down another maze of hallways to find Jakob, and once we found him Corrin promptly left me alone with him.

As soon as Corrin left the room, Jakob's eyes turned to me and they no longer held the same polite glow as before; they were now cold and judgmental.

"My Lord has explained to me that you are to be joining us as a butler, however I know for a fact that as long as I am alive Prince Corrin will not require another butler." Jakob said with a cold stare. "This leaves me the task of finding a suitable job for you." He circled me like a vulture; sizing me up.

"O..kay? But if I'm not a butler then what am I?" I asked, trying to keep my eyes on him the whole time.

"Well, I'd rather not let you have a weapon if you're to be so close to the prince, so…perhaps you'd do best as a priest. Yes, that seems to fit nicely."

"A priest? Like, an ecclesiastical leader?" I chuckled. "Sorry, but I don't know the first thing about whatever it is you guys worship."

"That's fine. 'Priest' is more like a title than a job description. In reality you'll be wielding a Heal Staff in case anyone should…require your services." The way he said it made me feel like he chose this job just to keep me out of the way.

"Um, this might be a silly question but…what is a Heal staff?" I cringed as the words left my mouth and I saw the look on his face.

"You're more of an uneducated barbarian than I had originally surmised." He sighed. "No matter, we have a few hours before you'll be leaving with Prince Corrin."

Leaving? I wasn't aware that we were going anywhere immediately. I opened my mouth to ask where we would be going to but closed my mouth as quick as I'd opened it. After my last question I wasn't looking to make myself out to be a complete idiot, and I realized that no matter where he told me we would be going I still wouldn't know where or what that place was.

Jakob walked to a nearby closet and retrieved something I couldn't quite see at first.

"This is a basic Heal staff." He held it up for me to see. It was a fairly long staff with some kind of jewel or gem mounted on the top and flanked on either side by metal made to look like wings that erupted from the staff just below the jewel. "As its name suggests it is for healing wounds. Incidentally, it cannot be used to heal one's own wounds; rather it can only be used to heal the wounds of another." He handed the staff to me and I took it carefully. It weighed more than I had expected it to.

"So, how do I use it?"

"The best explanation I can give you is that you hold the tip of the staff over the injured person, channel your magic into the staff, and concentrate on closing the wound."

That still didn't tell me much about how to use it seeing as I had no idea what he meant by 'channel your magic', but I figured it wouldn't especially matter since I doubted there would be any real need for such a thing.

Jakob cleared his throat. "Now, I will take you to one of the spare rooms where you will stay until milord is fully prepared to depart. This way please."

Once again I was taken through the large, grand hallways of the castle and led to a small room containing a wooden chair and not much else.

"Someone will be along to collect you when the time is right." Jakob flashed me one last cold smile before leaving and closing the door behind him, leaving me with only my thoughts to occupy my time.

I took a seat on the somewhat rickety chair and stared at the staff in my hands. Now that I had the time to really think about my situation I could only come to the conclusion that none of this could be real. Magic? Nohr and Hoshido? None of it sounded even remotely familiar or plausible. I had to be dreaming or something. But the thing that I kept going back to was that I could remember clear as day that I had in fact been nailed by a speeding car, and then those voices in the endless abyss of darkness that spoke to me, and this new body of mine. Could it be that I really am in a brand new world? Living a life that's not mine? At this point, I had a choice: I could be skeptical of this world all the way to the end and believe that this is all an elaborate dream of some kind, or…I could embrace the fact that this is my life now and try to move on from my old life. Moving on sounded like the right choice, but how could I? I had spent my entire life on planet Earth in the United States and lived with parents and siblings that I loved and cared about more than I'd like to admit. So how could I just forget about them and move on? Putting my head in my hands, I continued to agonize over my situation until I heard the door squeak open.

"Pardon me, but it's time we left." The man standing in the doorway was an older man. The expression on his face told me he was a stern and serious man.

He quickly ushered me out of the room, claiming we were already way behind schedule.

* * *

We met up with Corrin just outside the castle where he was waiting for us alongside a pink haired maid and a blonde man mounted atop what looked like a dragon.

"Thank you for fetching him for me, Gunter." Corrin said as we drew closer.

The older man, apparently named Gunter, bowed in response. "It is my pleasure to serve you, milord."

Corrin smiled lightly before turning to me. "I'd like to thank you for your cooperation and apologize if this all seems like a strange set of circumstances."

"Well, yeah, I guess it is pretty strange but I don't really have any way to change my circumstances, so I suppose I can't complain."

"I see. In any case, I'd like to introduce you to some of my retainers. You've met Gunter already. This is Felicia," He gestured towards the maid. "And the man with the wyvern is Cormag."

I gave a small wave to them and was rewarded with an energetic wave back from Felicia and a slight nod from Cormag.

"My liege, if I may, we really must leave now. The Bottomless Canyon outpost isn't going to survey itself." Cormag said irritably.

"Right as always, Cormag." Corrin said with a sigh. He mounted his horse, prompting the others to do the same and leaving me standing awkwardly. "Ah, right. Samuel, you'll be riding with Cormag as a…safety precaution."

"Wha-? O-on the wyvern?" I glanced over at it apprehensively.

"Haha, there's nothing to be afraid of; That wyvern is tamed and Cormag is a more than capable owner." Corrin said.

"W-well…if you say so…" I walked over to the side of the wyvern, noticing how it watched me closely the whole time. "A-ah, um, how do I mount it?" I asked no one in particular.

Cormag rolled his eyes and reached his hand down. I took it and he pulled me up with a surprising amount of strength.

"You'd do well to hold on tight; wyverns aren't known for their smooth rides." I briefly looked around before realizing there wasn't anything to hold onto.

"Um...what do I-"

He cut me off. "Just hold onto me, okay? And don't talk while we're flying."

I grabbed on around his waist, and no sooner had I done this then the wyvern took flight. It soared up and up for what seemed like forever before it leveled off and began to glide. I, of course, was still screaming from the takeoff speed and the height.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Cormag snapped. "Stop screaming and man up! There's no reason to be afraid right now!"

"No reason to be afraid?! I have every reason to be afraid; do you even see how far down the ground is? If I fell I would end up as a tiny red spot in some field!" I yelled back.

"Well if you hold on tight and stop quivering like a little girl then you won't have to worry about that!" He was silent for a moment. "Besides, even if you did fall Heath would catch you before you could hit the ground."

"Who is Heath? I thought only you and I were up here."

"Of course it's not just us. What do you think we're riding on?"

My eyes widened and my mouth formed an O as it all clicked in my head.

"That's an interesting name for a wyvern, not that I would know anything about naming wyverns." I commented. Cormag didn't respond, merely focusing on flying instead. I took this as my cue to shut my mouth.

I took a brief moment to look down and instantly regretted it; the ground wasn't even in sight anymore, just an infinite blackness with tiny dots of light peppering the landscape. My fear of heights and falling from them came rushing back, causing me to squeeze my eyes shut and try to pretend I was somewhere else.

"So, are you originally from Nohr?" I asked Cormag.

"Didn't I tell you not to talk while we flew?"

"Sorry, I just need a distraction from the thought of how high up we are." I answered sheepishly.

There was a long pause before he answered. "Yes, I've lived in Nohr my whole life along with my older brother Glen…although…Glen…passed away a while ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry for your loss." I said simply, not knowing what else to say.

"Don't worry about it. Glen lived an honorable life and died a hero; giving his own life to allow his comrades to escape. There's nothing for you to be sorry about, I'm proud to have been his brother." I struggled to come up with something to say in response, but Cormag spoke again before I could say anything. "We're almost to our destination. Before we get there, I want to let you know that there will be two more people meeting us at the Bottomless Canyon. I've not been told their identities though."

"I see." I wasn't quite sure what he expected me to do with that information, but I suppose I appreciated the thought.

Before I could say something to that effect, the wyvern began to dip downward as we approached our destination. At first I didn't thinking the landing was going to be too bad, but I was soon proven wrong as Heath decided he wanted to make a steeper dive. Needless to say, I found myself screaming once again; seeing the previously un-seeable ground approaching rapidly. Just as I thought we were going to collide with the all-too-near earth below, Heath pulled up and made a slow gentle glide before landing.

Cormag jumped down from Heath's back as I ungracefully toppled down. I pulled myself up to my feet to find Cormag looking around the area as if he was searching for something.

"You…you could have warned me before we started our descent!" I said indignantly.

"I apologize; I didn't think it was pertinent information." He seemed to be apologizing only as a polite gesture while his attention was still on looking for…whatever it was he was looking for. "Thank heavens. I don't think anyone else has arrived yet." He mumbled under his breath.

No sooner had he spoken then we heard the flapping of wings and voice calling down from above.

"Glad to see you made it in one piece, Cormag!" The two of us looked up at the newcomer as he landed his wyvern, quickly dismounting with an unnecessary flourish. "It's been too long." He smiled, but there was no warmth in it.

"Why are you here? There shouldn't be any need for them to send you out here." Cormag spoke through gritted teeth. The man merely smiled and did not answer.

My eyes flitted back and forth between Cormag to this other man. There was obviously some bad blood between the two of them. The new man began to stride closer and I could see Cormag visibly tense up.

Looking at this man closer, I suppose he was fairly intimidating; he wore purple armor with gold trim and blood red markings on his shoulder pauldrons. A dull grey-green cape flowed behind him. His long blue hair was messy and tangled in several places, giving the impression that he didn't care for his hair very well. As for his face, he wore a cruel smile that belied his friendly words and his eyes…his eyes looked so cold and callous. A chill crawled up my spine as the man stopped and locked his eyes on mine.

"Are you not going to introduce me to your new friend, Cormag?"

"I owe you no such formalities, snake!" Cormag snapped back angrily.

The man put a hand over his chest and made a face of mock pain. "Ah! You wound me! Why is it that you've become so cold towards me as of late? I came all the way out here to assist you and your lord, and this is the welcome I receive?" His act of being offended melted away with a dark chuckle. "I suppose I'll just have to introduce myself. I am Valter, the Moonstone of Nohr." He thrust his hand out towards me.

"I'm Samuel, a…rather new acquaintance of Corrin's." I shook his hand and offered a smile, surely this man wasn't as bad as he seemed.

"See, Cormag? Samuel here is being far friendlier and welcoming than you; you could learn a few things from watching him." Cormag's eyes blazed with hatred. "Ahem. In any case, we should get on with the mission shouldn't we?"

"Our orders were to wait for Prince Corrin and his escorts." Cormag said stiffly.

"Ah, yes. About that: King Garon has allowed me to take command of this mission, so I took the liberty of sending my dragoons to escort the prince back to the castle." A smug smile graced Valter's face. "I should also mention that I've already surveyed the outpost."

Cormag's eyes widened. "What? How long ago did you get here?"

"Long enough to take care of the Hoshidan forces occupying the outpost before you got here."

"Wretched cur! We were not supposed to engage Hoshidan forces if they were here!" Cormag socked Valter right in his eye before he could do anything. Valter stumbled back, holding his eye.

"It seems you still need to learn some manners, but that lesson is for another day. For now, we must head back to Castle Krakenburg if we're to make it in time for your hearing, Cormag."

"Hearing? What hearing?"

"The hearing to determine your sentence for murdering the innocent Hoshidans residing at the Canyon outpost." Valter's smile had come back in full force.

I watched the expressions on Cormag's face change rapidly between anger, disbelief, shock, and loathing. His tongue wouldn't form the words that were running through his head.

Valter cackled and turned to me. "I was only expecting Cormag to be here tonight, Samuel. And given the fact that you're a witness to what's been said, I'm going to have to…take you on a trip." My eyes widened and I took a few slow steps back. He rushed forward, grabbing me by my collar and lifting me up. I struggled in vain against his iron grip.

"Valter! Don't turn your attention away from me!" Cormag yelled. Valter threw pushed me backwards as he himself jumped back, narrowly avoiding Cormag's lance that came rushing between us.

As I stumbled back, attempting to regain my footing, I thought for a moment that I was safe, that is…until my foot found the edge of the canyon. I teetered on the edge for what seemed to be an eternity until the inevitable came and I began my fall. My last view being that of Cormag and Valter dueling; one angry and passionate, the other smug and unconcerned. I screamed until my voice was hoarse, and when I couldn't scream anymore I began to pray to any and every god I could think of. Evidently, one saw fit to do something about my situation; strange runes appeared in the air around me, creating a sphere of sorts and glowing brightly. Before I had time to inspect the runes further, the light blinded me and the sensation of falling disappeared.

The blinding light faded, allowing me to see that I was no longer in the Bottomless Canyon, nor anywhere near it from what I could tell. I spun around, soaking in my surroundings as best I could: it looked a castle or maybe a fortress of some kind, but…it was decrepit. Vines climbed the walls and hung from the ceiling, large portions of the walls and floor were damaged, and most disconcerting of all was that there were bones and weapons strewn about the entire room.

"It's quite magnificent, isn't it?" My eyes locked onto the man who had decidedly not been standing in front of me a few seconds ago. His clothing was rather formal and all of it very finely tailored with a vest, a cravat, a long coat, and even white gloves. The most striking piece of attire was the mask he wore on his face; it bore a simple design with the eye holes being crescent shaped and arcing downwards, and the mouth forming a mischievous grin.

"I…may I ask where I am?"

"You may!" He responded jovially. "Although I can assure you that I may not answer that question, you are certainly free to ask."

"Right…then would you be able to answer what happened? Or at least tell me who you are?"

"Hmm, if you must know then I suppose I can tell you that it was I who rescued you from your…untimely demise." He snickered at his own remark for reasons that were beyond me. "And the latter question I cannot answer fully, however it would be rude not to give you my name: Varlent."

"Varlent? Why does everyone here have such odd names?"

"Odd? I could say the same of your name, Samuel. It's not a very common name around here."

"I guess maybe it's not but- hang on! How did you know my name?"

"Heehaha! That is yet another question that I cannot answer at this time. But just know that I and my associates will be acting as…benefactors. We won't meddle too much in your affairs, and we certainly won't be holding your hand through everything, but we have a vested interest in you that can't be ignored. All we ask is that when the time comes, you'll help us in return."

"Wait a minute, slow down…how can I say I'll help you if I don't even know what I'll be helping you with? I mean, I'm grateful and all that you saved me, but I'm not about to agree to something that I haven't read the terms and conditions of."

"Pfft, come on, nobody reads the terms and conditions and you know that." He crossed his arms in an almost pouty manner. "Ooh! Ooh! I know! Would this change your mind?!" He put his hand out in front with his palm up and some kind of pastry materialized out of nowhere.

"What?! How did you do that?" I grabbed the pastry, looking it over and then staring at his hand trying to figure out what kind of trick he used.

"Just a simple conjuring spell, but that's beside the point! If I give you that pastry will you agree to help?" He asked excitedly.

"Wha? No! Something like this isn't going to change my mind! And unless you tell me what you want help with, there's no way I'll agree to anything!"

He sighed in frustration. "You're being far more difficult than you're worth! Why can't you just say yes so we can all go home?"

"Easy for you to say, I don't exactly have a home to go back to."

"Believe me, I'm all too aware of your situation, I was just using a figure of speech." He put a hand up to his chin thoughtfully and stared me down. "I've got it." His hand shot up and a single finger pressed against my forehead.

Suddenly, I was on a battlefield, and from the looks of it the battle was nearing its end. A large imposing man in black armor and wielding a great axe faced off against a samurai wearing a unique headpiece and holding a katana that crackled with electricity. The two were the last men standing; mounds of soldiers lay dead around them, the ground bearing a red tint from the sheer amounts of blood that had soaked into it. The duo appeared to be at their limits, neither one having the strength to keep fighting. The man in black toppled to the ground and the samurai limped towards his unmoving body, slicing the head clean off before falling to the ground himself.

I was back in the abandoned castle with Varlent.

"What did I just see? Who were those two?" I asked in bewilderment.

"Those were the kings of Nohr and Hoshido battling amidst the decimated ruins of their armies, and though what you saw has not yet come to pass, it will...unless…" He drawled.

"Let me guess, it'll happen unless I agree to help you?"

"Ding ding ding! Correct, sir! So do we have a deal!?" The man was practically shaking with excitement; it was kind of unnerving to be honest.

I had two choices now: I could prevent a war between these two massive countries and save countless lives, or I could continue to be stubborn and sacrifice everyone for the sake of my own safety…and even that wasn't guaranteed.

"…I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Not unless you want to abandon all of your morals." He said happily.

"Fine, you'll have my help."

"Excellent! Ooh! Ahhh! I'm so excited that I can hardly contain it all!" He began running in circles and giggling to himself.

While he appeared to be a grown man, I couldn't help but think he was nothing more than a child…or a very mentally damaged adult. He ended his victory dance and got right up in my face.

"Here! Take this with you, and I'll see you later!" He jammed a book into my arms and before I could ask what it was he snapped his fingers and I was in yet another new place. This time, it was castle that looked similar to the one where I had been originally but it was much much larger and was built in a conical hole in the ground; looking up, you could only see a very small piece of the sky.

I looked down at the book Varlent had given me; it had a pale yellow cover, strange characters on the front, and not much else. Flipping it open I found the same strange characters littering the inside and the occasional picture of a mystical rune looking thing.

 _Wonderful, I'm once again in a place I don't know with no clue where to go or what to do, only this time I have a weird book that does literally nothing for me except frustrate me further. I almost would have preferred to stay dead after getting hit by that car, at least then I wouldn't have to deal with all this malarkey…I suppose there's no point in standing around here, it's probably a fair assumption that Varlent wants me to go inside the castle. I just wish he'd be a little more clear about…well…everything._

* * *

 **A/N: It sure took me long enough, but here's chapter two! Yaaaaay! *Fireworks* In any case, I guess I should address a few things.**

 **1\. Yes, I am adding characters from other Fire Emblem games! I have room for a couple more, so feel free to suggest some characters and I'll see if I can make them fit.**

 **2\. Varlent is an OC of mine that I'm rather fond of, so I'd like to hear what you guys think of him. Do you like him? Hate him? Somewhere in between?**

 **3\. This story has a lot of changes from the canon of Fates. One such difference that I'll clear up now is that although Corrin was kidnapped by Garon, he hasn't been kept in the Northern Fortress his whole life; he's been treated just like the other Nohrian royals.**

 **I think those are the main things, but if you have any questions you can PM me. Also, please leave feedback…I'm begging you. I don't care how you get it to me, I just really need it because I want to improve my writing skills and I really want to be able to write a fanfic that a lot of people can enjoy, and to do that, I need feedback and constructive criticism.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading!**

 **Farvel!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

* * *

I guess I should have expected it, but upon approaching the castle the guards promptly blocked my way with stern looks on their faces.

"State your business, if you please!" One of the guards said.

"I-" What was my business? I didn't exactly have a task in mind. "I'm…not entirely sure." I cringed as the words left my mouth.

"Riiiight. Son, I'd suggest you turn around and go back to wherever you came from before things turn sour." He said with narrowed eyes.

"Well, I can't argue with that logic." I shrugged my shoulders and turned around to walk away.

 _It's not like I really owe Varlent anything anyway. As much as I'd like to avert the future I saw, I really don't wanna do anything drastic that would be lil old me in danger._

Before I even took my first step away from the castle, a voice rang out that I couldn't believe I was hearing.

"Ah, Samuel! What a surprise to see you here!" Valter said. I turned my head to look back, seeing him strut towards me from the direction of the castle. "Guards, I hope you weren't harassing him, after all, that man is a good friend of mine."

"N-no, of course not, sir!" The guard who had spoken to me earlier was now quivering in fear as he backed away back to his position. I stayed where I was, trying to suppress my own fear upon seeing Valter again.

"Come now, don't be shy, Samuel. You were looking to enter Castle Krakenburg…were you not?"

"I-I…ah…y-yes, that was my intention."

"Wonderful! I'll escort you inside and you can be my guest at the disgraced Commander Cormag's hearing." He gestured with his head for me to follow him, and given what I'd seen of his personality so far, I didn't think it would be a good idea to refuse his…invitation.

He started back towards the castle and I jogged to catch up with him, making sure to keep a considerable distance between us. I looked over at the guard and saw deep sympathy written on his face as he removed his helmet, placing it over his heart. I swallowed nervously.

* * *

The inside of Castle Krakenburg was much more luxurious than the fortress I had woken up in. Red carpets ran through every single hallway, as far as I could see in any case, crystal chandeliers hung above every intersection, and tapestries and priceless vases littered the sides of the halls.

"You know, I'm quite surprised to see you here, Samuel. After you fell into the Bottomless Canyon I thought you were no more. Care to explain?" Valter glanced back at me.

"W-well, I um…" _THINK FASTER, BRAIN! FASTER!_ "I…landed on a cliff not far from the top and found my way out?" I didn't intend for it to sound like a question, but that's the way it came out.

"Ohh, I see, that seems plausible." I breathed a sigh of relief. "However, you must be pretty fast on your feet to beat my wyvern back here. Tell me, what route did you take?"

"I…I…" I had literally no explanation for that. For whatever reason, I felt the need to keep my meeting with Varlent a secret, especially from Valter.

"Ahaha, I won't press you for answers but just remember that there should be no secrets between friends." He gave me a wink that sent shivers down my spine.

 _Friends? Does he really believe that we're friends? No, there's no way that's what he thinks; he's just toying with me like a cat toys with a mouse before eating it._

We walked in silence until we reached a large pair of double doors. Valter thrust them open without a word, revealing the room beyond: Inside I could see Cormag standing in the middle of the circular room, shackles adorning his ankles and wrists. At the back of the room sat the very same black armored man I'd seen in the vision Varlent showed me. I observed him for a moment before letting my eyes sweep the rest of the room which contained numerous spectators.

"Forgive me for my lateness, your highness." Valter bowed on one knee and I figured I should do the same.

"It's no problem, we had not yet started. Please take your seat, Valter." The black armored man said. "I'll have you explain your guest afterwards."

"Of course, King Garon." Valter stood up and I did the same, following him into the spectator's area. I briefly considered not sitting next to Valter but quickly dismissed the idea since he was the only person in this room that I knew…but putting one seat between us couldn't hurt. A pair of soldiers closed the doors and the proceedings began.

"Commander Cormag of the Royal Nohrian Army, you are hereby charged with murder of Hoshidan soldiers, disobedience to the orders you were given, and assault of a superior officer. How do you plead?" King Garon spoke with an authoritative tone that demanded silence from all except the accused.

"Innocent!" Cormag spat angrily. "That devil, Valter, is the one who killed the Hoshidans!" A low murmur arose throughout the room.

"Silence!" Garon growled. "Do you have proof of your claims against General Valter?"

"I do. I have another who was a witness to his crimes, and he is in this room." The low murmur arose once again.

"Very well, who is this witness?"

"None other than the guest Valter brought with him." All eyes turned to me as the spectators whispered to one another.

"Stand and state your name!" Garon said gruffly.

"M-my name is Samuel." I said as I stood up, feeling the eyes of everyone in the room on me making my knees shake nervously.

"Can you confirm Commander Cormag's claim?" Garon stared at me intensely, as if he was trying to glean my reply from my very soul.

Without hesitation, I began to answer with the affirmative until I glanced back at Valter, seeing a smug smirk growing on his lips.

 _Why is he so confident? If I say yes, he'll be found guilty of the charges against him, right? So then why doesn't he look worried?_

I looked at Cormag's face; his eyes were pleading with me to take his side, and I would have in a heartbeat after what happened at the Bottomless Canyon…but Valter's smile told me there was something he knew that I didn't. I turned to Valter once more and saw him nod his head ever so slightly to me.

"I-I, w-well, it's just that, u-um…" I stumbled over my words, still trying to figure out what I should do.

"Spit it out, boy! I am not a patient man!" Garon yelled.

"I…cannot confirm Cormag's claims." The murmur in the room became a dull roar as everyone began discussing this new turn in the trial. I looked at Cormag and saw the disappointment and anger spread all over his face; I hadn't known the man very long, but knowing that I had condemned an innocent man to life imprisonment or worse to save my own skin weighed heavily on my soul.

"Order! Be silent!" Garon demanded once again. "As your claims have been found to be false I hereby deem you guilty and strip you of your rank and title. Your sentence will be decided by me. Everyone is dismissed to attend to their respective duties."

The spectators of the court stood and began to slowly file out of the room. I noticed a number of them shooting me nasty looks while others gave me nods of approval; there were obviously two different teams at play here. I got up to leave the room as well but was stopped by Valter grabbing my wrist.

"Stay here. The king wishes for you to be present during the sentencing." Although he was speaking to me, his eyes were fixed on Cormag.

I sat back down and waited…and waited…and waited. Only Cormag, Garon, Valter, and I remained in the room, but Garon made no move to do anything. Eventually, a single man entered into the room; his darkly colored robes billowing behind him and his boots making a distinct clicking sound against the marble floor. He took his place next to Garon's throne, and looking at the two of them next to each other, I couldn't help but think that even though Garon was the king, the man next to him had a superior air of authority.

"Who's that?" I whispered to Valter, scooting into the seat next to him.

"That's King Garon's younger brother, Vigarde. He's one of the king's most trusted confidants." Valter chuckled. "And since when did you become so friendly?" Realizing he had a point, I scooted back to my own seat.

 _I really shouldn't be dropping my guard like that around him. I don't think he'd do anything in front of the king, but who knows what someone as depraved as Valter would or wouldn't do._

Vigarde leaned down, allowing Garon to whisper something in his ear. Vigarde whispered back shortly, earning a slow and thoughtful nod from Garon.

"Cormag!" Garon barked suddenly. "By law, the charges against you certainly mean death; however, I will leave your fate in the hands of the man you maliciously accused."

"W-what!? B-but, your majesty!" Cormag attempted to protest.

"Enough! You are lucky to be receiving such mercy. Valter, what is your verdict?" Garon asked.

Valter stood up slowly, a cruel smile playing across his lips as he stared at Cormag.

"Your majesty, I would have him pardoned in full on two conditions: that he completes a task of my choosing, and…" He licked his lips slowly, carefully preparing his words. "That he rejoins the Royal Nohrian Army as a foot soldier under Zelgius' command."

Garon sat up straighter in his throne. "Are you quite certain, Valter? That's an extremely lenient sentence, in fact, that's hardly a sentence at all; merely a demotion."

"I'm quite sure, your highness. After all, I've had a bit of a soft spot for Cormag ever since his brother met his untimely end. But, I will need time to prepare his task."

"Well, I suppose if that is your decision then I will allow it. However, Cormag will be kept under close supervision; Iago will see to that." Garon stood from his throne. "Brother? Would you mind sending Cormag to a cell until Valter is ready to speak with him?"

Vigarde bowed slightly in affirmation before raising his hand and pointing it at Cormag. An orb formed in his palm; crackling with dark energy. It suddenly shot from his hand, enveloping Cormag and disappearing along with him.

"You're dismissed, Vigarde." The man bowed once more and strode out of the room just the same as he had come in; boots clicking and robes billowing. "Now, Valter, I would have your explanation for bringing this guest of yours here without prior notice."

"Ah, yes, of course. As he has stated, his name is Samuel. I arrived at the Bottomless Canyon just in time to rescue him from Cormag's mad rampage."

"So he's Hoshidan then?" Garon growled, now glaring daggers at me. "A spy?!"

"No, your majesty! He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, you see?" Valter explained.

Garon calmed down slightly. "Hmpf. He's under your care then." And with that, he left.

I could feel Valter's eyes boring holes into me. I turned to look, seeing the wide smile on his face.

 _This is the part where I die isn't it? Based on his smile, this is definitely the part where I die again._

"So, Samuel, I know I tried to throw you over the edge of the Bottomless Canyon-"

"And you succeeded." I chimed in.

"Haha, right, but I'd like to apologize for that and I'd like to ask a favor of you."

 _Something's not right. Valter is apologizing?_

"Um, thanks for the apology I guess, but…what kind of favor would _you_ want to ask of _me_?"

He smiled wider. "Look, if we're being honest, there's no way you could have survived your fall into the Bottomless Canyon, and there's no way you could have made it to the castle before I did. I promised I wouldn't press you for answers to that conundrum, but it's clear you either have amazing power or friends in high places." I started to sweat a little bit; he was hitting a little too close to home. "And that brings me to my favor: I'd like you to stick around so I can observe you further, and perhaps learn the source of your abilities."

 _Stick around!? You tried to kill me! Why would I want to be near you? In fact, I'd like to stay as far away from you as possible!_

"I-I don't know…" My eyes shifted from his face to the floor.

"Of course, you don't have much of a choice in the matter. If you refuse, I'll simply kill you when no one is looking and throw your corpse into a ditch. If you accept, then I'll make sure you're taken care of; I take care of my friends, Samuel. And you'd do well to find yourself numbered among them."

"Okay, I'm just gonna speak freely for a moment. First off, you tried to kill me once already and you almost succeeded. Second, you made me take your side in the trial thereby causing Cormag to be found guilty. What would posses me to ally myself with you?" I realized I was scowling now.

"You did that second one by yourself; I didn't make you do anything." _He's right…I made my decision based on his facial expression, but he never said anything to coerce me into saying what I did._ "I can assure you it was the right choice though since the king wouldn't have taken your word over mine. And besides, Cormag isn't all there; he's been driven half mad by the grief of losing his brother, and the other half of his sanity was driven away by his desire for revenge."

"So, you're saying that Cormag is insane? Is that it?" I looked at him incredulously. This was coming from the man who looked like he could be the poster child for any number of mental disorders.

He laughed. "I know that seems strange coming from me, but believe me, I know Cormag better than most; he's not been himself since General Glen died. In any case, I'd like your answer now: Yes or no?"

"You already said it yourself, didn't you? I don't have a choice." I said bitterly.

 _Getting roped into deals that I don't have a choice in is something that I've gotten really good at lately…and that's not a good thing for me._

"It's good to see that you know when to give up, Samuel. Follow me, please; I'll get you set up so you'll feel right at home here in our glorious Castle Krakenburg." Valter strutted towards the door with his head held higher than usual. I followed him, with my head hanging lower than usual.

 _So this is my life now, huh? Cooperating with a murderer and condemning innocents. Quite a change of pace from my old life…_

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you thought of it and how I could improve.**

 **Thanks for Reading! Farvel!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

* * *

"Aaaand this is your room! Do you like it?" Valter made a large sweeping gesture with his arm.

The room didn't look like much. Cold stone walls, a tiny window, and nothing but a small bed and a storage chest as far as furniture was concerned.

"It's…not bad, I guess. But I wouldn't say it's good either." I replied.

"Hah, understatement of the year, Sam." He said dryly. "By the way, do you mind if I call you Sam?"

I gave him a flat look. "Yes, I do mind. My name is Samuel and I'd appreciate if you called me such."

"Whoa, okay. No need to be hostile, I'm just asking a question." He shrugged. "In any case, I'm going to go have a chat with Cormag now. You stay here and get yourself settled in."

Doing a quick about face, he turned and left the room without another word.

 _Get settled in? There's not much I have to settle. I mean, I lost my Heal staff when I fell over the edge of the canyon, so the only real possession I have is this book Varlent gave me._

I looked down at the book, turning it over in my hands. As with before, it merely had a few unfamiliar characters on the front spelling out what I'm sure was the title, and the same strange alphabet littering the inside of the book. The way things were arranged on the inside made it seem as though it was a book of instructions for…something or other.

I couldn't even fathom why Varlent thought this book would help me. If I knew how to read it then maybe I could do something with it, but until I felt like learning an entirely new language, I'd probably end up stowing it in the chest at the foot of the bed.

Glancing around the room, it didn't seem as though there was much to do other than sit and wait. And thinking about it now, Valter more than likely wouldn't be back for quite a while, so I could use this time to familiarize myself with at least part of the castle.

I headed out the door and began my expedition through the castle.

* * *

Ten minutes later and I was one-hundred percent lost. Nothing about the grand hallways and corridors in this castle made any sense whatsoever. There were way too many and they all looked exactly the same, making it extremely difficult to keep track of where I was and where I'd been before. Eventually, I managed to find another person walking the same corridor I was. Sighing in relief, I ran to catch up with them.

"Hey!" I called out, causing the person to turn around and face me. The person was a fairly young man, seemingly not much older than me. He was wearing light purple robes with gold trim and his hair looked to be a similar shade of purple as certain parts of his robe.

"Can I help you?" He asked with a kindly smile. His voice was soft and comforting, almost like a lullaby; it made me feel safer than I'd felt in all my time in this new and unfamiliar world.

"I, uh, as embarrassing as it is to admit, I've lost my way in the halls of this castle." I answered with an awkward chuckle.

"Oh, is that all?" A light laugh escaped his lips. "Where is it you're trying to get to then?"

"Um, back to my room, I think."

"I see. As I'm not sure where your room happens to be, perhaps I can help you find someone who does?"

"As far as I know, the only person that knows where my room is at is…" I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "Valter…"

"Oh, you're an acquaintance of his?" He cocked his head to the side. "That's rather surprising; it's not often I meet someone else who's on good terms with the good general. The way he acts tends to set people against him." There was a tinge of pity and melancholy to his voice.

"Yeah, I can see where they're coming from." Recent memories of the canyon came to mind.

"In any case, if what I've heard is correct then Valter would be in the dungeon speaking with Cormag right now. Would you like me to escort you there?"

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd really appreciate it."

"This way then. Follow me." He turned on his heel to continue walking the same way he had been before. "My name is Lyon by the way. Might I ask for yours?"

"I'm Samuel. I, uh…I haven't been here for very long so you'll have to forgive me if I'm not aware of some of the more…obvious things." I said as I walked alongside him.

"Ahh, so you're Samuel then. I'd heard your name but I'm afraid I couldn't put a face with it until just now. You've caused quite a stir among the royals and the army alike what with your participation at Cormag's hearing."

"Really? I…didn't think I really did anything out of the ordinary, did I?"

"Well, I can't say for sure whether you did or did not, I suppose they were just shocked to find that Cormag's guilt or innocence was left in the hands of a young man that no one knew existed until that moment." He shrugged.

"Left in my hands? You say that, but Valter tells me it wouldn't have made a difference no matter what I chose since the king wouldn't take my word over his."

"Hmm, he's probably right. But who knows? The king has been known to make irrational decisions as of late. What matters in the end is that you did what you felt was right, no matter the consequences."

My heart sank as he said that because I knew full well that I had made the morally wrong decision in that particular situation. In all honesty, if there was any chance of the king taking my word as truth…no, even if there was no chance I should have denounced Valter at my first opportunity. But I was weak and cowardly; selfishly choosing to save myself over doing what was right.

"Don't look so down about the situation. It's not as if Cormag will die, he'll merely be demoted, that's all." Lyon gave me a smile that, just like his voice, caused me to relax. There was an aura of peace about him that made me feel as if I needn't worry about anything ever again.

"Ah, this is the dungeon here. Stay close, it can get rather dark down there."

Lyon had stopped at a thick iron door that did not at all match the rest of the castle; everything else was crimson and velvet with gold accents while this area was naught but cold gray stone surrounding a dismal iron door. Before either of us could reach out to open the door it swung open with surprising speed, allowing two individuals to step out; one being Valter and the other Cormag. Cormag had a look of absolute hatred on his face that made me wonder what Valter's task for him was. And in contrast, Valter had the look of a giddy school girl on his face.

"Hello, Valter. Samuel and I were just on our way to find you, weren't we?" Lyon turned to look at me.

"Oh? You were looking for _me_? Could it be that you've finally gained a positive opinion of me?" His trademark smug grin followed his words.

"S-sure, that's what it was." I couldn't manage to think of a good retort due to Cormag's burning gaze boring holes through my head. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say the flames of hatred burned brighter for me than they did for Valter, which was a rather disturbing thought.

"Well, now that you've been reunited with Valter, I'll take my leave of you, Samuel. It was a pleasure meeting you, and I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you as time goes on." His expression told me he knew something that he wasn't letting on about, and for the first time I felt uneasy in Lyon's presence. Valter pushed Cormag along and stepped aside, letting Lyon enter the stairwell into the dungeon.

"You should count yourself lucky to be on such good terms with Lyon. After all, he's sixth in line for the throne." Valter said.

"Sixth in line? So, he's part of the royal family?" My eyes widened as I thought about how I should have acted more gracious towards him.

"In a way; he's Vigarde's son, so if by some chance all of the king's children and Vigarde were to pass then Lyon would be next in line." Cormag muttered something under his breath, causing Valter to yank on his shackles. "What was that?"

"Nothing, cur."

"That's what I thought." Valter turned his attention back to me.

"So, the king has four children then?" I asked.

"Well, no, he has five but one of them has been, how can I put this delicately? He's been denied the throne, meaning that the only way for him to be king is if every royal were to suddenly die. In the king's eyes, his son is no better than a piece of Hoshidan trash."

"Don't speak of Lord Corrin in such a manner, you wretch!" Cormag lashed out, attempting to slam his fists into Valter's face. Valter pushed his hands off to one side, pulled a dagger from his belt, and stick it into Cormag's shoulder all in one fluid motion. Cormag cried out in pain before gritting his teeth.

"Now now, I know you're upset, but what I spoke was the truth, dear Cormag. Can you refute my words? Does the king not see Corrin that way?" Cormag kept his mouth shut this time. "And in answer to the question you are about to ask, Samuel; yes, I do speak of the same Corrin that I hear you've met."

 _I actually wasn't gonna ask anything, it was already pretty clear that it was the same Corrin given how Cormag reacted._

"Ah, r-right." I realized we'd been standing in the same spot for quite some time now. "Any particular reason we're not going anywhere?"

"I just felt like waiting around and taunting Cormag." _Is he serious?_ "Haha, I'm only joking. We're waiting for General Zelgius to come by and pick up our little friend here." He gestured to Cormag.

"I heard you mention him during the trial and I had to wonder why you wanted to leave Cormag under his command. I mean, wouldn't it be easier to get him to do what you wanted if he was under you?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"Ahh, good question. See, Zelgius is a good friend of mine and even better general; he's never lost a single engagement in all his time with the Nohrian Army. But…sometimes I find him unbearable. The man is simply…too moral. He's never broken a rule, told a lie, killed a man without cause, had a drink, fooled around with random women, nothing. The soldiers consider him some kind of saint and attribute his victories to his moral code, but I have the very similar track record and look at me."

 _He went off on a bit of tangent there. It makes me feel like Zelgius' morals bother Valter more than he'd like to let on._

"Aaaaand, speak of the devil!" Valter exclaimed.

I looked the same direction as him to see an imposing man in shiny red armor making his way towards us. A monster of a sword was strapped to his back; it looked to be nearly the same height he was!

"How do you do, General Zelgius? Mind if I hand this over to you?" Valter threw the chain connected to Cormag's shackles over to Zelgius, who caught it with impressive ease.

"Why is there a dagger buried in his shoulder?" Zelgius narrowed his eyes.

"Oh come on, he was trying to get rough with me so I had to teach him a lesson." Zelgius narrowed his eyes further. "Don't act like you can't just have a maid heal him up in a grand total of ten seconds, General."

"I have my eye on you, Valter. And don't forget that." From the way these two talked to each other, I started to think that Zelgius and Valter were friends in much the same way that Valter and Cormag were 'friends'. Zelgius looked my way and I suddenly felt an immense amount of intimidation weighing down on me; a chill ran up my spine and I felt that this was not a man to be trifled with.

"You are Samuel, correct? A word of warning: the royals, nobles, and military leaders of Nohr are not as united as they make themselves out to be. Be careful who you decide to align yourself with."

"Zelgius! Just go ahead and spoil the fun, why don't you? I was going to let him find out all on his own by opposing one of the other factions and getting himself in a deadly situation so that I, Valter the Moonstone, could sweep in and save him. Thus ensuring his loyalty to me."

I was a bit taken aback to hear his whole plan, but it felt like I should have expected as much from him. And besides, it's not like I would ever see him as some kind of knight in shining armor.

"There really is no limit to your depravity, is there? You sought to deceive an outsider who wouldn't know any better. No offense, Samuel."

"None taken." I replied. To be honest, he hit the nail on the head a little harder than he knew.

"If I didn't try to do such things, how would I be able to keep up with you?" Valter asked with a grin.

"Don't insinuate that we're on the same level; we may hold the same rank and title, but in the eyes of the gods you are nothing more than a stain on humanity." His words were harsh, but there was little emotion behind them.

"It depends on which gods you believe in, Zelgius."

Zelgius scoffed and left without another word, Cormag in tow. The latter spared one last glance at me as Zelgius dragged him away. The expression on Cormag's face told me that the next time we were alone I'd end up with a lance through my chest.

* * *

After asking Valter to take me back to my room I was told that I'd be helping to accomplish a task alongside Corrin and some others. Originally, I was not set to be a part of the team for this particular mission, but after having a word with the king, Valter was able to assure my spot on the team. Our task was to negotiate with some of Hoshido's leaders to come to a peace agreement after what happened at the Bottomless Canyon. I was told the Hoshidans would be arriving at Castle Krakenburg in two days to negotiate the terms of the agreement.

I had to wonder why Valter would want me to be there as I knew nothing about the politics of this world and more than likely wouldn't be able to contribute anything meaningful to the meeting. And yet, here I sat at a long rectangular table; the Nohrians and myself on one side of the table and the Hoshidans on the other.

Sitting across from Prince Xander was a formidable looking man that bore somewhat of a resemblance to a lobster. Next down the line was a woman with purple hair and…a chest that was more than ample, and across from her was a woman with short red hair and a stern expression. Corrin sat across from a young woman with light blue hair who looked to be rather apathetic. A blonde young man with boredom written all over his face sat on our side while a gray haired young man sat on the other side with his nose turned up and a sneer on his face. Next to me was a young girl with the largest twin tails I had ever seen; she was all smiles and more than ready to be friends with the girl across the way who bore the same red hair as the woman farther down the table, this girl seemed more timid and shy than the rest of the Hoshidans though. And then there was me, and I found myself facing another girl with light blue hair who was paying no attention to me but rather she was staring at a red haired paladin who had taken up residence in the corner of the room closest to us. Now that I got to looking, there was one person in each corner: Vigarde and Valter stood in the far corners to mirror the Hoshidan pair in the other corners that consisted of the red haired paladin and an imposing man with blue hair and facial hair who I was certain would command attention as soon as he said a single word. Surprisingly, King Garon and whoever the leader of Hoshido was were not going to be present for this meeting.

"I now call this meeting to order to discuss the terms of our continued peace with the kingdom of Hoshido!" Xander called out. "Please, Prince Ryoma, do you have your terms ready?"

The lobster-like man answered Xander. "I do. We would ask only that the party responsible for the heinous acts committed at the Bottomless Canyon be punished accordingly…and that you return Corrin to his rightful family." The whole room seemed to tense.

 _Corrin's rightful family? What are they talking about? I thought Corrin was one of the Nohrian Royals…_

Xander rubbed his temples. "Prince Ryoma…we've been over this so many times before, and as I recall from the last time this discussion was had, we left the decision up to Corrin and he chose to stay with the family that raised him."

"The only reason he chose that is because he's never been given the chance to get to know his birth family properly!" The stern looking woman piped up.

"Hinoka, Ryoma, please calm down." Corrin spoke this time. "I'll get to know all of you in due time, but for now I think it's for the best that I stay in Nohr."

"You know what? I agree with Corrin. We're better off without Nohrian scum like him anyway."

"Takumi! Don't talk about Corrin like that; he's still your brother after all." The timid girl looked to be on the verge of tears.

"He's no brother of mine, Sakura. He abandoned his family of his own volition and has no intention of coming back to Hoshido with us." Takumi snapped back.

Arguments broke out all across the table; Xander arguing with Hinoka. Takumi being goaded on by the purple haired woman, whose name was apparently Camilla if I was hearing things right. Ryoma threatening both Leo, the youngest of the Nohrian brothers, and Elise, the young girl sitting next to me. The only ones not arguing were Corrin and the girl across from him, who instead were attempting to calm the others to no avail. And then there was me, sitting in the same spot as before, simply keeping my head down and trying not to get involved. I must have been looking pretty sheepish as the girl across from me started trying to reassure me.

"Don't worry. It won't be long before either father or uncle Vigarde steps in to take control of the situation." She said.

"Ah, I see. How often do these, um, altercations happen?"

"Every time they all get together like this." She answered simply.

"Hmm…" We watched the proceedings a while longer before I tried making conversation again. "So, Vigarde is your uncle? Then you must be one of Lyon's cousins, right?"

"Oh, no; I call him uncle but that's only because our families have been very close ever since I can remember, despite the fact that we serve two different kingdoms that aren't exactly on the best of terms." She said with a gesture towards the two royal families, all of whom looked ready to tear each other's throats out, even Corrin.

Before I could respond, Vigarde stepped forward just as the girl had predicted.

"SILENCE!" The room got quiet, the royals stopped in the middle of what they were doing, and nobody made any sudden moves. "You all disappoint me once again. You are supposed to be royalty that will be the guiding light of the future! And yet you squabble amongst yourselves like wild dogs fighting for the last scrap of food thrown out by the farmers."

"I second Counselor Vigarde's remarks and would like to add that there will be consequences for your actions once we return to Hoshido." The blue haired man in the corner, who I now assumed to be the father of the girl I had been speaking with, gave the Hoshidans a harsh glare.

"Don't you think you're treating us like children, High General Fado?" It was clear Takumi had added his title not for respect but to mock him.

"I do think I'm treating you like children, and until you learn to act otherwise, I will continue to do so." Fado's icy glare was directed solely at Takumi, who slunk into his seat without another word. "Now, if Counselor Vigarde agrees, I believe we should continue this meeting, but not until those who have been disruptive have left the room."

"What?! Fado! You can't possibly-" Ryoma was cut off by Vigarde.

"I find that acceptable."

"Uncle! Tell me you're joking!" It was Xander this time. "You can't possibly mean to leave us out of this important meeting!"

"I do mean it, boy. You'll be lucky if I don't report your behavior to your father." Xander turned white as a sheet.

"B-but, as I recall, everyone in this room was involved in what just took place." Ryoma spoke once again.

"That is incorrect." The red haired paladin finally stepped forward to speak. "I believe these two sat and had cordial conversation while the rest of you were…preoccupied."

Everyone turned to look at me at the girl with whom I had been conversing. It took me a moment, I know I'm slow, but I realized what that meant exactly and my eyes widened.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on a second. If I'm following all of this correctly, then this would mean that I would be by myself as I discuss the peace terms with…um…her." I struggled to find her name, ultimately failing.

"That's right, Samuel. Now the rest of you can just scoot, scoot, scoooot along and out of here." Valter made sweeping motions with his hands but was obeyed by no one.

"Out. Now." Vigarde pointed towards the door, and under his command, everyone stood from their seats and quietly filed out of the room. Some giving me and the girl nervous glances as they left.

They were gone now, leaving me alone with this girl to figure out what the terms of peace were going to be between Nohr and Hoshido. Now, to put this in perspective a bit, let me reiterate that was brand new to this world and I had never even so much as heard the words 'Nohr' and 'Hoshido' before coming here a number of days ago. How then was I expected to discuss politics for an entire country in place of that country's rightful rulers?

Valter placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder, or at least he tried to be reassuring, but it just came out feeling intimidating and making me want to go home.

"The two of you may commence now." Fado said.

 _You say that, but what are we supposed to do? I mean, it's not like I have any clue what I could or should be negotiating for._

Fortunately for me, the girl seemed ready to say her piece.

"As Prince Ryoma stated beforehand, we require that the guilty party be punished for their crimes. I will redact his request to have Prince Corrin handed over, and instead replace it with a request to have my brother, Ephraim, released." Fado placed a hand over his face.

"Eirika. The reason Ephraim is imprisoned right now is because he's serving out the sentence you were given for murdering General Glen." Fado spoke in a soft tone, which was a far cry from the tone he took with the royals.

"Father, I've told you over and over, I did not murder Glen. He was a close friend of Ephraim's, and my fiancé no less! What reason could I have possibly had to murder him in cold blood?" Her voice was even and controlled, no doubt from much practice, but there was a wave of emotion waiting to roll out.

I looked up at Vigarde standing next to me. He was saying nothing, but his jaw was clenched tightly.

"What's going on?" I asked him quietly. He leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"As of two years ago, General Glen was died in a battle to defend a small village from a pack of bandits. The bandits were small time and their numbers were few, leading everyone to the conclusion that he couldn't have been killed by some ordinary bandit. As it so happens, his fiancé, who you see across the table from you, was with him that day to assist him in his duties. She claims she was knocked out from behind and awoke to the sight of the General's bloodied corpse. But given the evidence against her, she was quickly convicted of the crime and sentenced to the next thirty years in prison. However, her twin brother, Ephraim, volunteered to be imprisoned in her place. He believed she was innocent, you see?"

I took a moment to process the information I was just given. Eirika didn't seem to the type to murder someone she was so close to, and besides that, her father didn't seem very concerned about the whole thing at this point; in fact, he looked more annoyed about it than anything. I really didn't want to get in the middle of their discussion, but with the way things were going we would end up being here all day…or night…it was hard to tell what time it was in Nohr when the sky was pitch black all the time.

"Ahem!" I cleared my throat loudly, hoping to get the attention of Eirika and her father. And get their attention I did…to some degree; Eirika finished what she was saying before giving Fado a cold glare and turning back to me. "If you don't mind, I'd rather like to finish our business here. I don't have all day."

 _I don't have all day? Right. Like I have anything better to do. If I'm honest with myself, I just want to be doing…not this. This whole situation just has me stressed out._

"Of course, Nohrian representative." Eirika replied.

 _Ouch. Cold as ice. She couldn't even be bothered to use my name?_

"Given the circumstances, I'm going to deny your request to have Ephraim released from the dungeon. However, the guilty individual behind the attack on the Canyon Outpost has been dealt with accordingly. Are there any other requests Hoshido has to make?" I was quite impressed with myself for being able to not stumble over my words during my delivery, and from his expression, I could tell Valter was pleasantly surprised too.

Eirika thought for a few minutes, glancing at her father every now and again. She was obviously trying to think of some way that she could spin this situation to free her brother, and knowing that right now I held the power to either leave him locked up or let him see the light of day again gave me…a bit of a buzz. It was an odd sensation knowing that I held someone's life in my hands at this very moment. I couldn't help but smile a bit.

"Well, I have heard your denial, but I would like to make my request once more: will Nohr release my brother from his imprisonment?" She asked so pleadingly, so sincerely. I could either make her extremely happy by approving her request, or I could crush her dreams and probably leave her crying herself to sleep.

"Hmm, I personally feel that releasing him without anything in return would leave Nohr at a bit of a disadvantage. What do you think, Vigarde?" I was getting cocky now; toying with her.

"I think you're right, however, Nohr has no right to request anything at this point after what Commander Cormag did at the Canyon Outpost." He answered.

"Wait! The slaughter…that was Cormag's doing?" Eirika was dumbfounded by this new revelation.

"You didn't already know that?" I asked.

"No, I wasn't told who committed such a horrific act, only that it was one of Nohr's commanders. But Cormag couldn't have done such a thing; he was such a nice man." I was confused for a moment before I remembered that Cormag and Glen had been brothers, so of course Eirika would have known Cormag well too.

Some things started to click together in my mind. Glen was murdered and the whole thing was pinned on Eirika. Ephraim takes her place in prison, leaving her to grieve for not only her fiancé but also her brother. Cormag seems to have some kind of unbridled hatred for Valter. I know for a fact that Valter is a murderous snake. Valter told me that Cormag is driven by some desire for revenge, presumably against his brother's murderer. So, as I figured, it may very well be that Eirika was telling the truth when she said she was knocked out from behind, and that that was Valter's handiwork.

I looked over at Valter, still lounging in the corner. He gave me a knowing wink that only made my suspicion stronger.

"Right…Vigarde? May I speak with Eirika alone?" Vigarde seemed surprised.

"My orders were to remain here until negotiations were finished." He answered.

"Please, just give us a few minutes? I promise negotiations will move much smoother if we can have a few minutes to speak privately."

"…Very well. However, I do this on the condition that you fill me in on what was said afterwards. I do have reports to file after all."

"I understand." I said with a nod.

Without even having the need to say anything to the others, Vigarde left the room followed closely by Valter, Fado, and the still unnamed red haired paladin. I watched until the door closed shut behind them. I slowly turned back to Eirika who had a rather expectant look on her face. I folded my hands on the tabletop and cleared my throat before beginning.

"Well, I'm gonna be straight with you; I have absolutely no idea how to properly negotiate anything, and I honestly shouldn't have even been here at this meeting today. In fact, I'm gonna tell you something I haven't told many people: I'm not from around here. I hadn't even heard of Nohr or Hoshido until just a few days ago."

She blinked several times. "That…doesn't make sense to me. Who in their right mind would allow a foreigner, and such a new one at that, into their negotiation meeting?"

"Believe it or not, Valter has some sort of vested interest in me. And unbeknownst to me, Valter put in a good word with the king in order to have me present here." I explained.

Slowly she crossed her arms. "Valter…you're on good terms with him?" Her eyes were narrowed suspiciously.

"I…suppose you could put it that way. I mean, our relationship was a bit rocky in the beginning, but things are a bit smoother now." I smiled.

"I see. I think I have a good idea of what kind of person you are, um…"

"Samuel. My name is Samuel." I supplied.

"Ah, yes. I believe I have a clear understanding of where your allegiances lie. Even so, I will ask one more time: Will you release my brother?" Her eyes were intense; desperate and threatening all at once. It caused me to recoil ever so slightly.

 _Now, I could either free her brother, Ephraim, and more than likely get myself in trouble with the entire kingdom of Nohr. Or I could deny her and let the Hoshidans go home virtually empty handed and make enemies out of them. Right now, I really wish I hadn't asked Vigarde to leave, but if I hadn't done that then I couldn't have been quite as open as I've been._

I placed a hand under my chin and mulled over my options carefully. I began to lean towards freeing Ephraim, but then I shied away from that idea in favor of keeping him captive. I flipped and flopped over my decision for quite some time before a new idea came to me in what I thought at the time was a flash of inspiration. This little voice in the back of my mind proposed two new ideas that would be a bit trickier to pull off. I could deny her request so as to protect myself in the eyes of the law. Or I could grant her request, and then claim I didn't, insinuating that they had illegally broken him out of the dungeon. As soon as both of these ideas came to me, I thought they were absurd, but the persistent voice in my mind urged me to think about them more in depth, and as I did, I came to the realization that the first of the two ideas could be used to not only uphold the ideals of my moral compass but would also allow me to be seen favorably in Eirika's eyes, and possibly Hoshido's eyes depending on who was privy to what had happened. On the other hand I could deceive her, allow Ephraim out of his cell, and then say I had never sanctioned such a thing and accuse Eirika of attempting to free a criminal, thus putting both siblings behind bars and gaining favor in the sight of Valter, and possibly Nohr itself.

 _Decisions, decisions. It's not often this much responsibility is suddenly put on my shoulders, but I think I could get used to it._

"Well, Eirika, I think at this point my answer is going to be…" She leaned forward in her seat. "The same as before; Nohr will not release Ephraim from his confinement. I'm sorry."

She looked resolutely crestfallen, as though she had expected this answer but had hoped for a different response.

"I…see. That is all I will say on the matter then." She reached into a travel bag located at her feet and procured a scroll. "In addition to what has been said here, King Sumeragi trusted me with this list of demands that are to be seen only by King Garon. Can I trust that you'll get this to him safely and without incident?" She placed the scroll on the table between us but made sure to keep her hand firmly planted on top of it.

"Of course, I'll make sure he receives them." She let retracted her hand, allowing me to take the scroll. I placed it in the inner pocket of my vest for safe keeping.

"I'll leave it to you then. And now, I believe negotiations are over." She stood from her seat rather abruptly, collected her things, and made her way to the door.

I rose from my seat a bit slower, not really knowing what to do with myself; ever since I'd been in this world, someone had always been shepherding me to this place or that place to do something or other. Eirika left the room and soon after Valter and Vigarde reentered.

"I trust things went…well?" Vigarde asked.

"Yeah, nothing really special happened. She asked to have her brother pardoned and denied her once again. That's about it." I grinned uneasily. I had obviously just lied to one of the most powerful men in all of Nohr, and judging from his facial expression he knew that there was something I wasn't telling him, but he didn't pry into what I had hidden. Vigarde gave me one last look, along with a small nod, before leaving, presumably to attend to other duties. Valter, however, stuck around with a smug smile on his face.

"Good job, Samuel. You managed to get us through negotiations without having to try and make the royals play nice with each other." He gave me a slow clap. "And in case you didn't pick up on it, I hope you realize that the only reason I asked for you to be in this meeting, and the only reason Vigarde approved of you being here, is because no one wanted to deal with the royals and their silly bickering."

 _Ahhh, so that's why. Makes sense I suppose, but it still seems a bit odd to let a complete foreigner head up the negotiations for the entire country. But…whatever floats your boat, I guess._

"Right. Thanks for…clarifying." I said in a rather ungrateful tone. "So, now what do I do? I mean, I have no idea what I should be doing."

"Do I look like your mother, Samuel? Do whatever you want; you're a grown man, aren't you? Use your time however you want." He sounded a bit annoyed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have important things that I need to be doing. Ta ta!"

And just like that, I was left alone. As per Valter's suggestion, I decided I would in fact do whatever I wanted. The only problem with that being that I couldn't for the life of me figure out which way was which in this castle.

 _I could always hope that I'd run into someone in the hallway like I did with Lyon last time, but with halls and corridors as big and numerous as the ones in Castle Krakenburg, what were the odds I would run into someone again? Regardless of that, staying here wouldn't avail me anything. Guess it's time to get myself lost again….yaaaaaay._

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 **A/N: Well, this chapter seems rather rough to me, but I've had the finished product sitting on my desktop for a number of months now so I figured the least I could do is upload it. I don't know if anyone even still cares about this story, so I may or may not continue it after this chapter, but it seemed a waste not to upload an already finished chapter. So here it is.**

 **Feel free to review if you want to, and if you don't want to you can feel free to not review too.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading! Farvel!**


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